Fibromyalgia Natural Cures and Treatments
Fibromyalgia is now recognized as an illness by social security which means even the government recognizes it is real. Fibromyalgia is most common in women, and usually starts from 25 to 50 years in age. It happens most often in women who are leading stressful lives or have had stressful events in their lives such as a serious illness or major accident. There is no definite correlation saying certain illnesses or degree of severity will cause Fibromyalgia or FM., but it is a factor common to many who have it.
Symptoms:
The symptoms of Fibromyalgia include widespread musculoskeletal pain (100 percent), morning stiffness, and widespread fatigue (96 to 100 percent), and disturbed sleep (86 to 98 percent), are the most common signs and symptoms of Fibromyalgia along with the ever present pain in 11 or more of the 18 sensitive areas of the body. Cold, damp weather and strenuous physical activity can severely aggravate conditions. Many of us who suffer from Fibromyalgia have irritable bowel syndrome, stiffness, numbness, swelling or edema, tingling, feeling lightheaded when standing, restless legs, leg cramps, migraine and tension headaches. Fibromyalgia symptoms are a lot like those associated with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which makes it even more difficult to distinguish. With this list of symptoms it is no wonder the diagnosis can be extensive.
Sometimes we experience the inability to think clearly or have a brain fog along with difficulty in remembering things. These times are usually short term and memory clears up concentration improves when the flare up lessons. For those who suffer from Fibromyalgia Syndrome, days like these happen on a regular basis. This throbbing, “aching all over” feeling often seems worse in the morning. And that makes it even more difficult to bear when you’ve just spent a seemingly endless night tossing and turning because restful sleep hasn’t been seen in your bedroom for a long time. Fibromyalgia is also usually cyclical, with different symptoms from day to day, and changes in energy levels and pain. Sometimes everything may get worse for a while, and then there will be days where the patient feels nearly normal and symptom free. As the syndrome progresses, cycles of pain and fatigue may become longer and more severe.
Depression and anxiety are often occurring for those with Fibromyalgia. It is not certain whether the near constant pain causes the depression or if the depression aggravates the pain but it is certain there is a psychological element to the disease. Constant pain and poor sleep often with tired muscles from twitching feet and arms at night can cause even the most cheerful person to experience these feelings. Fibromyalgia is often misdiagnosed or takes a long time to finalize a diagnosis. It is hard to diagnose since most doctors are not familiar with it and the symptoms can be attributed to many different diseases. In fact part of the ways that it is diagnosed is the elimination of anything else that would cause it. It is the unexplained presence of pain and sensitivity and the linking of the pain to the 18 sensitive points that make most of the diagnosis.
One of the major frustrations and the feeling of isolation that we have come from remarks like ‘this is all in your head’ or ‘would you like the name of a psychiatrist’ which often intensify feelings of depression, doubt and anxiety. No one seems to understand the pain is real even though there are no outward signs that there is a problem.
The doctor will also check for certain chemical imbalances that are common with Fibromyalgia (FM). Once you know what you have there is a choice to make. You can do what the doctor tells you (recommended) and only that (not recommended) and hope it will get better on its own. About 30% of the people who have Fibromyalgia are considered in remission (doctors say there is no cure). I consider being symptom free or the ability to return to an active life being cured.
Some of the Natural Cures you can do to help yourself if you choose to take an active part in your treatment (recommended) will fall into these categories.
Exercise (aerobic and strength training) start slow and walk 30 minutes a day but you can break it up into shorter segments at first depending on your physical condition (longer is better) Blood flows back to the heart through muscular action not by a pump (the heart) so the more you do the better your circulation and blood flow can become.
Meditation
Hypnosis
Pain medication(click here to link to my article on Cymbalta As Pain Medication)
Heat for temporary pain relief (Infra red saunas are the best they help remove toxins and improve circulation)
If you want to find a Natural Cure for fibromyalgia then you will need more research than can be put into an article. We have found that in all cases massage benefits them. The skin and muscles are sore at first but LIGHTLY massage, always going upward to increase circulation. Circulation improving will start the healing process. Professional massage is good ( many do not know how to do fibro patients so interview them find out if they know the 18 points and how to massage you to increase the circulation ( relaxing the muscles does that). Stress, tension and constant pain knots the muscles and restricts blood flow. That causes more pain in the muscles. Think of it like sitting on the toilet toooo long. You loose feeling and have numbness in your legs, but when you stand up you have pain as the blood flows back into the tissues. You are likely to have been limiting your blood flow for a long time now limiting your healing since nutrition and oxygen only get there with adequate blood flow.
The exercises that are most successful in helping you come from Yoga, Tai chi and Pilates. The first two especially help due to the breathing and help oxygenate the body. Exercise and get a good work out but do not overdo it. When you get tired stop. You can do more than one session in a day or wait a day and see how the muscles feel. It may take a while to build up to a more active work out.
Massage should be done daily. I am not saying go to a massage therapist daily but you can massage your own legs and arms lightly at first but as days go by they should get deeper and more firm pressure. Honestly everyone with Fibromyalgia that has gotten better has done REGULAR exercise and regular massage. I realize that it is hard to do your back but find some one that can help you with it. You can easily learn the strokes and tell them how much pressure is good for you. Keep advancing the pressure and if you have a massage therapist that is experienced they will slowly ramp up the pressure using your feedback so tell them when you can take more.
This is part two of a three part series next we will cover the many advantages of hypnosis to help with both the pain (yes it works) and with circulation. Both helping you overcome Fibromyalgia and getting back to where you need to be. Look for part three Called Hypnosis in Fibromyalgia and we will cover the rest of the things on the list that help.
Great tip though Diet can be a big factor. You might try using the Atkins diet and drop some weight and the carbs do seem to aggravate the condition. Diet is not a requirement but those who try it seem to do better and have less pain.
Great tip two. Eat cherries either fresh or dried about 15 a day or the equivalent in blueberries. They help get rid of the edema in your legs (blood trapped there and swelling) which lets the circulation be better.
Try taking 2-3 tablespoons of Coconut oil a day. You can either cook with it or eat it or put it in a warm drink. It needs to be warm coconut oil is a solid below 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Using the tips can help you feel well enough to get you motivated and begin your program of exercise and massage as well as the other things we will discuss.
If you have further questions, please comment. I would love to help you relieve your pain.
To your health.
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